You are attempting to get things organized quickly since you are running late for work. Having your hands busy, you swiftly enter the key into the lock on your front door and turn it, but you don’t feel the smooth motion. However, you hear a cracking sound and discover when you glance down that your home key has just broken within the lock. What a great way to start the day.
It is annoying and inconvenient when a key fragment breaks off within the lock.
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What Causes Keys to Break in Locks?
Several problems may contribute to this situation.
- Brass and nickel are two comparatively soft metals that are commonly used to make keys.
- Wear and tear through time has harmed the key.
- The lock itself is either not lubricated enough or stuck.
How Do I Fix a Broken Key in a Lock?
Any broken key within a lock, if it is a home lock, a commercial lock, or a car lock, should be fixed right away, regardless of the circumstances.
- In fact, the lock may be harmed by the shattered key.
- Your house, car, or workplace will be at a higher risk for burglary if you can’t lock the door because the key broke within the lock before the door was closed.
- If the key broke off in the lock following your closing of the door, you might not be able to open it again until the problem is fixed.
How to Remove Broken Key from a Lock?
You should count yourself lucky if a key breaks off within a lock and you discover a piece of it protruding from the lock.
When this is the case, you might be able to take out the remaining portion of the key by simply squeezing it between your fingers.
It’s time to fetch your toolbox unless you can’t get a grip on the piece still in the keyhole.
Tools for Extracting Broken Keys from Locks
The task will be more difficult if there is only a little portion of the key protruding. Utilizing a pair of needle-nose pliers or a powerful magnet that can draw out the piece left, you can attempt to remove it.
You can cause more harm than good if you have to probe and prod to get the key. You run the risk of harming the lock by inserting the fractured piece further. Therefore, we genuinely warn against doing this – be careful!
When a Section of the Key Isn’t Bulging From the Lock?
The likelihood of you being able to remove the key yourself is limited if no portion of it is protruding from the lock, particularly when you don’t want to end up breaking the lock.
Perhaps a flathead screwdriver tiny enough to go in the keyhole might be used. You can strive to lever or release the key’s location in the lock by putting it there until a portion of the key protrudes from the lock. Using needle nose pliers or a powerful magnet at that point, you ought to be able to remove the fractured piece.
Tips for Avoiding Broken Keys
To avoid a key from falling off inside a lock in the initial place, there are a number of things you can do.
- Lubricating a Lock
Keys frequently break inside locks because the lock hasn’t been properly maintained. Approximately every six months, or if you detect grinding or excessive contact when closing the door, a silicone-based lubricant must be sprayed into the latch.
- Additional Keys
Keys are commonly misused and vulnerable to a lot of abuse. Therefore, if you see that your keys are beginning to seem worn, it’s time to get a new set produced and throw away the old ones.
When Should I Call a Locksmith?
For precisely this reason, Locksmiths Melbourne provides 24-hour locksmith services. Contact us right away if you are having problems with damaged keys at your house, and our staff will be pleased to help!
